Process of producing illuminating-gas.



No. 683,065. I Patented sept. 24, mol. G. OTTERMANN.

PROCESS 0F PHODUCING ILLUMINATING GAS,

(Application led Dec. 14, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

n md5/w T a E NIO www NLW G MTN'ESSES No. 683,065. Patented Sept. 424,|90I.

G. ornlwmrm.y PROCESS 0F PRDUCING ILLUMINATING GAS` (Application medDecf14, 18mm (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ChrEcE".`

GEORGE OTTERMANN, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING ILLUMINATING-GASV.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,065, datedseptember 24, 1901. Application filed December 14, 1,899. Serial No.740.291. (No specimens.)

'To @ZZ whom may concern:

Be it known'that I, GEORGE OTTERMANN, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing at Schottenbastei 4, Vienn a,Austrial-Iungary, have invented a certain new and useful Process ofProducing Illuminating and Heating Gas from Household Refuse and WasteSubstances, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exactdescription as will enable any one skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specication.

My invention relates to a process for producing illuminating and heatinggas from waste organic substances, and particularly from those wasteorganic matters which are contained in ordinary household refuse. Thesewaste products consist principally of organic compounds containingcarbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen and occasionally inorganiccarbonates.

It has been found that when the gases and vapors distilled from wastehousehold products are passed over heated neutral substances alone theyare not materially improved, because, unlike the gases produced fromricher materials, they now contain few convertible hydrocarbons. Ontheotherhand, when such gases and vapors are passed over heatedcarbonaceous substances alone the conversion does not take place to asufficient extent to furnish a useful gas. The reason for this is thatthe carbonaceous material must furnish the heat both for raising thegases to the temperature of dissociation and that required for theconversion ofthe gases. In consequence of this double duty thetemperature of the carbonaceous material rapidly sinks below thetemperature of dissociation and the Iireclay retort, in which theprocess takes place, does not conduct the heat of the furnace rapidlyenough to supply the loss. This is particularly true during the firstenergetic evolution of the gases and vapors. In my process the gases andvapors from the waste products are first raised to the temperature ofdissociation and then brought into contact with carbonaceous material tobe converted into useful gas.

My invention consists, primarily, in heating waste household products,then bringing the Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a Yfurnace for heating the retorts.

In the drawings, a is a fire-clay retort, in which the distillation ofthe household refuse is effected. b is a second lire-clay retort, intowhich the gas produced in the retort o. is conveyed through theconnectingpipe d. The retort b contains in the space c paper-ashes orother suitable chemically-indifferent material, while coke is placed inthe space e. In

the space fof the retort b an iron vessel is placed, which is dividedinto stages or shelves and is intended for receiving constituentsforbinding the nitrogen which passes through forming cyanids. Bothretorts are built into the furnace. (Shown in Fig. 2.) The gas isevolved in the retort o,passes through the connecting-pipe d into theconversion-retort b, then flows over the paper-ashes o, the coke e, andfinally through the vessel f, from which it passes freed from itsnitrogen through a discharge-pipe gto the water seal 77, into the pipela, leading to the cooler and scrubber. Itis essential for theassistance of the formation of gas and the production of a rapiddistillation process that a stirring apparatus t',which projectsYthrough the retort o, should be used. The stirring apparatus consists ofa rod with a handle and a stirrer or paddle, which may preferably havethe form of an inclined plane or an oblique surface. The stirrer thenpasses through the iron cover of the retort. By the stirrer being turnedand pushed to and fro a movement of the material to be distilled isproduced, and when out of use the inlet-opening in the cover is tightlyclosed. Y The retort a is fed through an opening lying opposite to thestirrer. The insertion of the paper and coke into the retort b takesplace at suitable intervals of time through'the openings which arenearest to the said materials. In the refilling of coke, which takesplace after about twenty-four hours, the vessel f, intended for theformation of cyanids, is removed and IOO emptied and a similar vessel fwith fresh material is inserted in the retort b. In order to avoid asfar as possible the admission of air, which is deleterious to thecyanids, a valve fm in the connecting-pipe is closed during the openingand closing of the retort a. The apparatus hereinbefore described mayalso be modified by connecting two or more vaporizing or distillngretorts with a single conversion-retort. One or more gas-evolvingretorts may also be connected with several conversion-retorts in such aWay that one conversion-retort contains only paper-ashes, the next oneonly coke, and the third one the compounds for forming the cyanid, andthe gas is then forced successively through these conversion-retorts.Inclined retorts connected with one another may also be employed. Thecyanid-forming apparatus may also be placed before the coke or betweenthe coke and the paper-ashes, but with less effect. The furnace has anopening n for the introduction of the fuel. The latter is conducted bythe sliding shaft m to the grate z, where it is burned. The gases fromthe combustion pass over the fire-bridge to the combustion-chamber@where they are completely burned by the air introduced at u. The gasesare led by channels q to the retort and pass along the retort, parallelto the longitudinal direction,l to the flue r and from this to thechimney. The primary air is introduced at v, passes through the channelsw, whereby it is heated, and is conducted over the water-tank and comesout at e' below the grate-bars to the fuel. The secondary air enters ats and passes through the channels t' to the chamber u, from which itcomes into the combustion-chamber p'.

In' carrying out my process the retort a is charged with the Wasteproducts and raised to a temperature of from 700 to 800 centigrade. Theresulting gases and vapors then pass through the pipe CZ and'come incontact with the incandescent paper-ashesc in the retort b. This bringsthe gases to such a temperature-for instance, 800o centigrade--that adissociation and conversion,especially when in contact with incandescentcoke, can take place. The gases now pass over the heated coke e, withwhich they combine to produce illuminating and heating gas. The nitrogencontained in the gas is removed by the materials in the vessel f.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The process of producing gas from household refuse and similarorganic Waste substances, which consists in distillng the same, bringingthe resulting gases in contact with heated neutral material, and thenbringing said gases in contact with heated carbonaceous material.

2. The process of producing gas from `n0usehold refuse and similarorganic Waste substances, which consists in distillng the same, bringingthe resulting gases in contact with incandescent paper-ashes, and thenbringing said gases in contact with heated carbonaceous material.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE OTTERMANN.`

Wituesses ALvEsro S. I-IOGUE, AUGUST FUGGER.

